When a private in the Home Guard was warned by his Sergt.-Major
for parade, the private told the Sergt. Major to clear off.

This was stated at St. Albans Divisional Sessions, on
Saturday, in a case in which Jack William Bert Mangham (25), tractor
driver, the Folly Field, Wheathampstead, pleaded "Guilty " to
being absent without reasonable excuse, from Home Guard parade at
Harpenden, on July 23rd.

Lieut. L. C. Clarke, gave evidence that on July 20th he
was in company with Sergt.-Major Durbridge when he saw defendant seated in
a car. The Sergt.-Major warned defendant to parade, properly
dressed, at platoon headquarters at 9.30 a.m. on Sunday, July 23rd, but he
did not do so. His attendances, ever since he joined the Home Guard, had
been poor, and great difficulty had been experienced in contacting him.
.

In reply to Mr. R. De Mornay Davies (for defendant),
witness said he knew defendant was in the employ of the Herts War
Agricultural Executive Committee but was not aware that he had to travel
to many places in West Herts daiJy; that he had to report for work at 5
a.m., and did not get home until after 8 p.m. Witness had seen defendant
in Wheathampstead; before 8 p.m. He was not aware that defendant had
applied for exemption from the Home Guard because of his work.

Supt. Hales: "Haven't you made every effort to
contact this man? - Witness: Yes.

And he has very cunningly avoided all your efforts to
contact him?-Yes.

" Clear Off."

Sergt.-Major G. T. Durbridge said that when he warned
defendant to attend the parade in question defendant told him to clear
off

Supt. Hales: What has been the attitude of this man
since he joined the Home Guard?-Witness: He has never been on parade since
I became Sergt.-Major of "B" Company eighteen months ago.

Answering further questions, witness said: "He was
before Lieut. Col; J. K. Wenham, the Commanding Officer, to whom he
explained his position in regard to his work, and arrangements were made
for him to do certain parades which would not clash with his work. He said
he could attend those parades and promised to do so, but he did not carry
out that promise.

Mr. de Mornay Davies said this was another of the cases
- many of which had been reported in the Press - where an agricultural
worker found that his work clashed with his Home Guard duties. Having
regard to the importance of agriculture, special consideration should be
given to agricultural workers in connection with Home Guard duties and he
asked the Justices to take that into consideration.

The Chairman (Mr; M.G. Dashwood) said defendant would be
fined the maximum of £5, with £1 costs. In default of payment within
seven days he would go to prison for a month.

____________________________

"NOT A PRECEDENT"

JUSTICES AND A WHEATHAMPSTEAD LICENSE

St. Albans Divis1onal Justices spent nearly twenty
minutes, on Saturday, debating, in private. whether they should grant an
application by. Mr. R. Spurr, of the "Bull" Hotel,
Wheathampstead, for an occasional license from 2 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. on September
2nd, for a gymkhana, etc., to be held at Lower Meadows,
Wheathampstead, in aid of the Red Cross.

Supt. J. Hales said the Police had no objection to the
application, and Mr. Spurr, in reply to quest1ons from the Bench1, said a
similar application was granted last year when a similar event was held at
Mr. Nicho1s' farm. .

The Chairman (Mr. M. G. Dashwood) : Why do you want the
license so late?-:Mr. Spurr: There are a flower show and a fete as well as
the gymkhana, and it goes on until 8.30 p.m.

After the Justices' lengthy deliberations, the Chairman
told Mr. Spurr that the question they had been considering was not whether
he should have the license, but the principle or granting licenses at this
sort of entertainment.

"We are going to grant this license from 2 p.m. to
6.30 p.m.," added the Chairman, "but we wish it to be understood
that this is not a precedent by any means, and each application for a
similar license will be very carefully considered."

___________________________________

A WHEATHAMPSTEAD BRIDEGROOM

WEDDING AT HULL

The wedding took place, at St. Martin's Church,
North-road, Hull, on Saturday, of Miss Marjorie Diglin, daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. E. N. Diglin, of 126, Boothferry-road, Hull, and Mr. Edwin James
Noblett, son of Mrs. Noblett, of "Moat House," Wheathampstead,
and of the late Mr. T. J. Noblett.

The Rev. W. H. Leach conducted the service. .

Given away by her father, the bride was attired in a
dress of white figured crepe-de-chene, with white embroidered Veil
arranged from a headdress of gardenias. She carried a bouqet of deep cream
tea roses.

The Misses Peggy Smith, Joyce Westerdale and Enid Moxham
(cousin of the bride) were in attendance. They wore deep petunia,
hyacinth blue and apple green taffeta respectively, with coronets of'
feather-flowers, and carried bouquets of scabious and dahlias.

Mr. T. J. Noblett (brother of the bridegroom) acted as
best man.

When the couple left for the Yorkshire coast the bride
wore a turquoise blue figured dress, with blue coat to match and a
nigger-brown hat and accessories.

8th September p5

Wheathampstead Gymkhana and Fete

MANY ATTRACTIONS AT POPULAR EVENT
EVENT

OVER £600 FOR THE RED CROSS

A one-hour miniature "cattle market," with
Mr. John Hodgson, the framing auctioneer, calling the bids, sprung up in
the middle of Lower Meadows, Marford, on Saturday. Before Mr. Hodgson had
said " Going, Going, Gone " for the last time, about £220 had
been raised for the funds of the British Red Cross. He sold all sorts of
farmyard fowls and animals which had been generously given to the sale by
farmers in the district.

Pigs. sheep, ducks and chickens all came under his hammer. He was
also called upon to auction the inevitable bottles of whisky and gin and,
in
addition put up 500 cartridges for the benefit
of sportsmen anxious to take part in the partridge-shooting season.

The agricultural sale was part of the combined gymkhana,
horticultural show and dog show which were held to raise money for the
Victory Garden Week effort for the Red Cross. The latest estimate of the
total. raised is £600.

The sideshows were run by the Sea Cadet Corps, Under
Lieut. Cunnington, R.N.V.R., and Messrs. Long, J. Wright and
Hooker.

Besides sideshows. stalls were arranged. They were run
by Mrs. Garrett. Mrs. Ward and Mrs. Smallwood. Mrs. A. M. Baird-Smith
handed over the proceeds of a sale of work which she held some weeks
previously and Miss Marigold Cory-Wright organised the gymkhana. Mr. H. G. ,
Hill was responsible for the "cattle market"; the horticultural
show was arranged by the Flower Show Committee; Countess Reventlow and
Mrs. Thornton organised the dog show. Teas were served by
the W .V .S, and the bar was run by Messrs. Spur and Corbett.

In the humorous dog show the outstanding item,
perhaps, was the dog race, in which there were a couple of minor fights
and a few frantic chases. about the field by owners! The proceeds of this
show amounted to £2 17s., and the results were :-

Sergeant Alfred John Allaway. of Lea Valley Estate,
Wheathampstead. was married at Wheathampstead Parish Church, on Sunday.
His bride was Miss .Jeane Isabel Baker, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Baker,
of Walthamstow .

Son of Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Allaway, of 19, Manor-road,
Lea Valley Estate, Sergt, Allaway took part in a mass escape from an
Italian prisoner-of- war camp when the armistice was signed and made for
the hills, where he was fed and sheltered by Italian farmers.

Sergt. Allaway and
Miss Baker.

A guest at the wedding was Sergt. E. W. Young. Royal
Artillery, of Edmonton, who was with him during the whole period they were in
hiding.

Given away by her father, the bride wore a dress. of
white crepe, with train. Her white veil was held in place by sprays of
orange blossom, which formed her headdress, and she carried a bouquet of
red carnations.

Her attendants were Miss Frances Baker and Mrs. Irene
Holmes (her sisters). They wore blue satin dresses with blue feathered
headdresses and veils. and carried bouquets of chrysanthemums. Eight-year-old Maureen Hood (niece of the bridegroom), who was the
rain-bearer,
wore pale blue taffeta with a pink headdress and carried a posy of
chrysanthemums.

The ceremony was performed by the Rector (the Rev. A.
M. Baird-Smith) and the duties of best man were carried out by Mr. A. E.
Hastings (bridegroom's nephew).

After the reception Sergt. Allaway and his bride left
for Wallasey, where the honeymoon is being spent, the bride travelling in
a powder-blue jumper suit.

________________________________

WHEATHAMPSTEAD

Home Guards and Army Cadets paraded to Wheathampstead
Parish Church on Sunday morning for the National Day of Prayer. An address
was given by the Rev. C. J. Read. of Harpenden.

Boys and girls of Wheathampstead Congregational
Church brought gifts of vegetables and flowers to their special harvest festival
service in the church on Sunday afternoon. These were
distributed on Monday. with the decorations used in the church, to sick
and aged members of the congregation. The children's special service
was addressed by Mr. J. Tomlin, of Luton, who also conducted the evening service. The
morning service was taken by the Minister (the Rev. J
Henderson).

15th September p3

WHEATHAMPSTEAD

Women's Institute members met at the Senior
School; on Wednesday, with Mrs. G. C. Norbury in the chair. The speaker
was Mrs. Oakley, of Peters Green, her subject being "Portugal and its
People." It was decided to send a blanket of woollen squares, made
by members, to liberated Europe. A competition for the best-arranged
flowers was won by Mrs. Potter. .

Harvest festival services were held at the Folly
Methodist Church on Sunday. The Rev. C. C. Mayes (Superintendent Minister
of the Harpenden Circuit) preached in the morning. and in the afternoon
there was a children's gift service, at which the gifts were received by
Mrs. F. J . Woods. The Rev. F. J, Woods conducted the evening service.
On Monday a sale of produce was followed by a meeting, presided over
by Mr. J. W. Tomlinson, at which the Rev. F. J. Woods gave an address. The collections and proceeds of the
sale, amounting to £23, were for the
Church Trust Fund.

Home Guards Camp,- By a pleasing coincidence, in
view of the uncertainty with regard to the future of the Home Guard,
members of "B" Company of the 5th Herts Battalion. of the Home
Guard (Wheathampstead and Kimpton) were in camp at Crow Hill, Harpenden,
last week-end, at the same time that Home Guards elsewhere were doing
their last compulsory parades. The spirit of comradeship was much in evidence
among the men numbering about sixty. An inter-platoon shouting competition was held on
the adjacent range. and Home Guard talent, including. the Company's own dance band, took part
in a concert on Saturday evening.

22nd September p3

WHEATHAMPSTEAD

Divorce.--Mr. Justice Barnard, in the Divorce
Court, on Wednesday, made absolute 493 decrees nisi in matrimonial
causes including that granted on March 8th. 1944. to Mrs. Clara
Constance Maria Hoskyns-Abrahall, whose address was then given as
Greenaway House, Wheathampstead.